As the final days of summer approach, the Sojourner Truth House garden received its last day of cleaning up before fall arrives. The garden has several vegetables, including squash, tomatoes, cucumber, and zucchini.
On Saturday, September 16, a group of Millhouse Engineering & Construction Inc. volunteers offered their time and talents to harvest vegetables and clean the areas. This is their second time this year volunteering at STH, and they recalled seeing the starter plants that had just begun sprouting the last time they were there.
Volunteers harvested an impressive 201.5 pounds of produce that day. Afterward, the volunteers began cleaning and laying mulch in the garden beds that no longer produce for the summer. Once their scheduled time drew near, they realized they could not finish everything they wanted to accomplish. Rather than save it for another group, the managers huddled together and agreed to extend their service time to complete spreading the mulch.
“Once we gave them the thumbs up to continue, I heard the rumble of a flatbed hand cart that I refer to as Santa’s Sleigh,” said Kristy Olsen, Community Resource Supervisor. “The large, red, metal flatbed that we store in the pole barn for moving furniture and donations was being rolled out of the pole barn, across the parking lot, and into the garden. The flatbed carried the largest totes the volunteer team could find in the barn.”
When Kristy complimented their ingenuity, the volunteer said, “That is what we do! We find creative solutions to problems, and we make it work.”
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana Presents Check to Sojourner Truth House in Gary
Gary, IN (December 30, 2021) Today, Matt Schuffert, President of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, visited the Sojourner Truth House in Gary to present Angela Curtis, Executive Director of the Sojourner Truth House with a check for $25,000 to fund programs that help homeless and at-risk women and their children in Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Lake Station, Whiting and other parts of Northwest Indiana.
According to Schuffert, “Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana is committed to supporting the services that the Sojourner Truth House provides the women and children of our community including the feeding of more than 3,000 families monthly through its operation of the largest food pantry in Lake County.”
Angela Curtis, Executive Director of the Sojourner Truth House is a native of Gary. She began her career in Social Services at the Sojourner Truth House in 2014 and became an advocate for helping families learn to have a voice for themselves before becoming its Executive Director on July 5, 2021.
In addition to assisting women to find a permanent place to live, the Sojourner Truth House helps clients become Transitional Outreach Program Participants and maintain support through therapeutic programs such as basic skills, employment training, addiction and other issues.
According to Curtis, “We believe that a holistic approach provides help and hope for the mind, body and spirit for those that we serve.”
About Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana:
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana’s $300 Million casino and entertainment destination officially opened to the public on Friday, May 14. Hard Rock’s premier 200,000-square foot entertainment complex features over 1300 slots and 80 table games. It has five food venues including Hard Rock Café, Council Oak Steaks and Seafood, YOUYU Noodle Bar, Fresh Harvest and a Constant Grind Coffee Shop. It also features a retail shop and a 1,954 Hard Rock Live performance venue.
About Hard Rock®: Hard Rock international (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies with venues in 68 countries spanning 241 locations that include owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops®, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 86,000 pieces which are displayed at its locations around the globe. The brand is owned by HRI parent entity The Seminole Tribe of Florida. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com.
From Left to Right: Matt Schuffert, President of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana and Dawn Reynolds Pettit, Regional Vice President of Human Resources for Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana presented Angela Curtis, Executive Director of the Sojourner Truth House in Gary, with an oversized check for $25,000 to help homeless and at-risk women and their children in Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Lake Station, Whiting and other parts of NWI find a permanent place to live.
All images and B-Roll courtesy of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.
